Shadow transport minister Bill Esterson speaking at the Commons

Shadow transport minister Bill Esterson told the House of Commons that the roads repair backlog has hit an “eye-watering £16.3 billion”, in reference to an Asphalt Industry Alliance survey report published earlier in 2024.

He also said there are 100 times more potholes in the UK than there are craters on the Moon and breakdown recovery services are being called out frequently.

“RAC patrols attended 33% more breakdowns related to poor road maintenance than in 2022, meanwhile, AA callouts were at a five-year high.’

“The road repairs backlog has gone up to an eye-watering £16.3 billion – that’s far greater than his allocation of money from scrapping the northern leg of HS2.”

Transport Secretary Mark Harper hit back and said: “We’ve set out our plan very carefully – £8.3 billion of extra money to improve the quality of local roads.”

The Department for Transport has pledged to spend £8.3 billion on road resurfacing over the period 2023 to 2024 and the next 10 years.

Mr Harper also claimed Labour “has not committed a single penny of money to local roads.’

“The choice is clear – if you vote Conservative, you get £8.3 billion spent on roads, if you vote Labour, you get none.”